‘It’s going to be hard, but we’re going to be OK’: Father pens emotional letter to family about Trump’s victory

SILVER SPRING, Md. — It’s a question that many parents were asking as Election Night finally ended with America electing Donald Trump as the next president of the United States — “What do I tell my children?”

Dave Sloan of Silver Spring, Md., and his wife, Deb, are longtime Democrats, who spoke in length about the election with their four children, ages 10-15. When they finally went to sleep Tuesday night, they struggled about what they would tell their children regarding the new president and the future of America.

Sloan children (Courtesy of Dave Sloan)

According to the Washington Post, Sloan said he worried about what his two daughters heard during the campaign about women and body image — and what his two sons had heard about “disrespect and dishonor.” He worried they would wake up thinking, “How could you, America?”

So on Wednesday morning, before Sloan boarded his train to New York for work, he left a handwritten letter to his children and also posted it to Facebook. Many commented, saying they also planned to show it to their children, because, they too were at a loss for words.

Sloan, 41, a computer specialist, decided to use the election as a teachable moment and remind them to stay firm in their family values no matter what.

“Monkeys,” he wrote, “I’m sorry that I’m not with you this morning to help us all cope with the sad, shocking news.”

“Based on where we live, who we know and who we hang out with, it’s easy to believe that the values we hold, the things we deem important, the truths that we hold to be self-evident are shared across the country,” he continued. “Last night taught us that isn’t the case.”

“It’s going to be a scary four years ahead. Please don’t think that changes our values though. We still believe in tolerance and unity and respect and science and honesty and expertise and hard work and love. We’re just going to need to fight a little harder for those things.”

“We’re not going anywhere and America is worth fighting for. We’ll continue to respect our country, its true character and the office of the president, even if the person in that office doesn’t.”